Finely crafted coins recall Canada’s finest military moments in the Royal Canadian Mint’s latest numismatic offering

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, AUGUST 7, 2018 –In keeping with a time-honoured tradition of commemorating the bravery and sacrifice of Canadian soldiers on coins, the Royal Canadian Mint is proud to have issued the 2018 $20 Fine Silver Coin – A Nation’s Mettle: The Dieppe Raid, among many other memorable keepsakes this month. Illustrated by accomplished coin designer Laurie McGaw, this outstanding collectible depicts the reflection of a contemporary veteran saluting the fallen, reflected in the water receding from the beach at Dieppe, France. The coin serves as a reminder of the many Canadian soldiers lost or captured in the fateful Second World War operation on August 19, 1942. The juxtaposition of the past and present also pays tribute to those Canadian veterans who dutifully commemorate those sacrifices every August at Dieppe, New Brunswick.

Also remembered are the dates August 8 to November 11, 1918 on the 2018 $20 Fine Silver Coin – First World War Battlefront Series: Canada’s Hundred Days. Joel Kimmel’s illustration of soldiers overlooking the makeshift grave of a comrade buried amidst the rubble of a devastated town symbolizes the sacrifice of Canadians who fought costly but successful battles, from Amiens to Mons, in the last 100 days of the First World War.

On the 2018 $20 Fine Silver Coin – First World War Allied Forces: France, artist Pandora Young has captured the hope and determination of French ground forces, with fellow airmen flying above, as they make their final push to victory in the closing months of the war. The selectively gold plated flaming bomb insignia of the French infantry adds a special flourish to a coin honouring the brave men who gave so much to secure an Allied victory on their home soil.

On another front, the Mint continues to re-imagine coins by creatively altering their shape. This time, it has produced its first stamp-shaped 2018 $20 Fine Silver Coin – Canada’s Historical Stamps: Parliament Building 1927 Confederation. Faithfully replicating the bright carmine commemorative postage stamp issued in celebration of Canada’s 60th anniversary, this coin features serrated edges that mimic perforations. Another unique collectible is the ovoid-shaped 2018 $20 Fine Silver Coin – Four Seasons of the Maple Leaf where artist Margaret Best has illustrated the iconic maple leaf, in rich colour and selective gold plating, as it emerges and transforms through each season.

Other great collectibles available in store this month include:

The 2018 Fine Silver Colourised Coin Set – Classic Canadian Coins, the Mint’s first set of exquisitely coloured silver reproductions of Canada’s traditional circulation designs, which includes a pure silver medallion of the Mint’s Ottawa and Winnipeg facilities in commemoration of its 110th anniversary;

The 2018 $100 Fine Silver Coin – Portrait of a Princess, is an elegant reproduction of Yousuf Karsh’s famous 1951 photo of a young Princess Elizabeth, on a stunning 10 oz. pure silver coin;

The 2019 $2,500 Pure Gold Coin – Year of the Pig, a one kilo, scalloped-shaped coin designed by Three Degrees Creative and the 2019 $150 Gold Coin – Year of the Pig designed by Aries Cheung, both celebrating the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year;

The 2018 $100 Fine Silver Coin – The Bronze Age of DC Comics, an impressive 10 oz., shield-shaped coin featuring the 1970’s and 1980’s incarnations of the super heroes of the Justice League, illustrated in full colour by Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson;

Mintages, pricing and full background information on each product can be found on the “Shop” tab of www.mint.ca. Coin images can be viewed here.

All of these products can be ordered directly from the Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada,
1-800-268-6468 in the US, or online at www.mint.ca. The coins are also available at the Royal Canadian Mint’s boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg, as well as through our global network of dealers and distributors, including participating Canada Post outlets.

The Royal Canadian Mint stands out with new 3D sculptural coins

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 – Always eager to break new ground in coin design and engineering, the Royal Canadian Mint has shattered the limits of relief with several impressive new coins. Bursting from the imagination of Mint engraver Matt Bowen is the 2018 $250 Fine Silver Coin – The Voyageurs, a spectacular 1 kilo, elliptical-shaped, concave coin struck in ultra-high relief. The dramatic scene of the intrepid trail blazers who fueled early Canada’s fur trade, paddling down an untamed river, is rendered in incredible depth and dimension. This stunning keepsake, among many other innovative collectibles, is available as of today.

Equally irresistible is the 2018 $100 Fine Silver Sculpture Coin – SupermanTM The Last Son of Krypton on which a three-dimensional, gold-plated sculpture of the legendary superhero leaps from its reverse. This 10 oz. fine silver creation is the result of a collaboration between renowned comic book artist Jason Fabok and Mint engraver Mathew Porter.

More examples of exceptional sculptural relief can be found on the 2018 $50 Fine Silver Coin – Whale’s Tail Soapstone Sculpture which features Winnipeg artist Dave Zachary’s hand-carved design of a humpback whale’s flukes jutting out of a shimmering translucent blue enamel layer realistically emulating Canada’s North Atlantic waters. Visible beneath this watery enhancement is Mint engraver Cecily Mok’ engraving of the whale’s head as the majestic creature dives to the icy depths below.

A similar effect also brings to life the 2018 $30 Fine Silver Coin – Dimensional Nature: Polar Bear, which introduces the world to the Mint’s exclusive dimensional paint technique. Artist Tony Bianco’s illustration of a cub cautiously testing the waters from the safety of an ice floe while its mother and sibling navigate the blue ocean waters below, vividly simulates the beauty of Arctic wildlife in action.

Other finely crafted coins available this month include

A pair of royal-themed coins, consisting of the 2018 $25 Fine Silver Coin – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: The New Queen, featuring a Bonnie Ross portrait in repoussé-inspired ultra-high relief, and the 2018 $10 Pure Gold Coin – 65th Anniversary of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II;

The 2018 $20 Fine Silver Coin – First World War Allied Forces: Great Britain, designed by artist Pandora Young;

The 2018 Holiday Gift Set, featuring a holly and candy cane motif on the reverse of a special one-dollar coin.

Mintages, pricing and full background information on each product can be found on the “Shop” tab of www.mint.ca. Coin images can be viewed here.

All of these products can be ordered directly from the Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada,
1-800-268-6468 in the US, or online at www.mint.ca. The coins are also available at the Royal Canadian Mint’s boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg, as well as through our global network of dealers and distributors, including participating Canada Post outlets.

Gold Inches Down On Rate Hike Views, Trade Worries

BENGALURU, Sept 10 (Reuters) – Gold held on to a small loss from the previous session on Monday, amid expectations of a U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate hike in September and fears of escalating trade tensions between the United States and China.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold was down 0.1 percent at $1,194.01 at 0030 GMT, having fallen 0.4 percent in the previous session.

* U.S. gold futures fell 0.1 percent to $1,199.80 an ounce.

* U.S. jobs growth accelerated in August, with wages notching their largest annual increase in nine years, strengthening views the economy was so far weathering the Trump administration’s escalating trade war with China.

* The stronger-than-expected payrolls data cemented expectations that the U.S. Fed will raise interest rates in September, in what would be its third hike this year.

* The Federal Reserve should keep raising U.S. interest rates until mid-2019, and only then needs to take a decision on when it ought to stop, Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan suggested on Friday.

* U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Friday he was ready to slap tariffs on virtually all Chinese imports into the United States, threatening duties on another $267 billion of goods on top of $200 billion in imports primed for levies in coming days.

* Central banks will be in focus with the European Central Bank and Bank of England both meeting this week. The ECB is expected to signal it is ready to start tapering bond purchases, but President Draghi is likely to sound cautious after a run of mediocre to softening euro zone data.

* Hedge funds and money managers increased their bearish stances in COMEX gold and silver contracts to the biggest on record in the holiday-shortened week to Sept. 4, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data showed on Friday.

* Physical gold buying picked up pace in major Asian centres last week as lower prices fuelled appetite for the metal, with India seeing healthy demand ahead of the festive season despite a rise in domestic rates to a two-month high.

* Canada’s Tahoe Resources Inc, said on Friday that operations have restarted at its La Arena gold mine in Peru, ending an eight-day suspension.

* Argentina’s central bank chief said on Friday government financing for 2019 “will be more than sufficient” and that the recent sharp depreciation of the country’s peso currency will “correct itself quicker than markets believe.” (Reporting by Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru; editing by Richard Pullin)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Sunday it was immediately suspending trading in two investment products that track cryptocurrencies, citing confusion in the markets over whether the products are exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The SEC said in a statement that trading in Bitcoin Tracker One CXBTF.PQ CXBTF.PK and Ether Tracker One CETHF.PQ CETHF.PK would be halted in the United States until at least Sept. 20.

The products promise to track the price of the cryptocurrencies, less fees. They are both listed on a Nasdaq Inc (NDAQ.O) exchange in Stockholm, but trade “over the counter” in transactions that occur off exchanges within the United States.

“It appears … that there is a lack of current, consistent and accurate information,” the SEC said in a notice posted on its website. “Application materials submitted to enable the offer and sale of these financial products in the United States, as well as certain trading websites, characterize them as ‘Exchange Traded Funds.’”

The issuer of Bitcoin Tracker One and Ether Tracker One, XBT Provider AB SE0010296574.ST and its parent company, did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. Nasdaq declined to comment.

The SEC has taken a strict stance against letting ETFs tracking bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies come to market.

But investment firms have been pushing other types of investments that attempt to make it as easy to trade cryptocurrencies as a regular stock.

Those products are sometimes called ETFs, but that term generally refers to a different and often more stringently regulated product. Some industry experts, including the largest ETF provider BlackRock Inc (BLK.N), have called for regulators to standardize the terms used to describe ETFs and other kinds of investment products.

Virtual currency, including bitcoin and ether, can be used to move money around the world quickly and with relative anonymity, without the need for a central authority, such as a bank or government. A fund holding the currency could attract more investors and push its price higher.

Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Peter Cooney and Will Dunham

Gold And Silver In Store For ‘Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Gain’

Precious metals investors need to prepare for lower gold prices in the next few months, with things only picking up next year when gold rallies to $1,350 an ounce, according to Capital Economics.

Gold continues to sulk in the summer months, trading near 12-month lows, with strong U.S. dollar and lack of major fundamental news keeping the metal under pressure. As Asian markets opened on Tuesday, spot gold on Kitco.com was trading at $1,221,20, up 0.02% on the day, while August Comex gold futures were last seen at $1,220.50, down 0.07% on the day.

But, with higher greenback taken out of the equation, gold prices could be trading at a much higher level, commodity economists at Capital Economics noted.

“The dollar has also been the biggest driver of gold prices. Indeed, our consumption weighted gold price suggests that if we stripped out the dollar effect, the price of gold would be much higher,” economists wrote. “Given that we don’t expect the dollar to fall back until 2019, when slower growth in the U.S. will prompt the Federal Reserve to bring the tightening cycle to an end, gold prices are likely to remain under pressure over the coming months.”

The only positive drivers that could surprise investors on the upside are safe-haven demand and inflation expectations. But, both have been falling short lately, added Capital Economics.

“Safe-haven demand for gold has so far been elusive and U.S. inflation expectations have moved sideways over the past few months. What’s more, demand from key emerging markets is likely to fall as a stronger dollar is making gold in local currency terms more expensive,” they wrote.

This outlook has forced Capital Economics to revise down its year-end gold price outlook to $1,200 an ounce from $1,300. It is even lower than today’s price of $1,221.

But, the firm’s medium-term outlook for gold prices is actually better than previous estimates. Capital Economics highlighted that the Fed’s tightening cycle will end in the first half of 2019, which will lead to higher gold prices.

“As the Fed tightening cycle comes to an end in H1 2019, investors will start to factor in lower rates ahead, which should push the gold price up to $1,350 by end-2019,” economists said.